Wells huffed. “Think about it. Why would there be an old fire truck out here?”
My voice was doubtful. “Someone dumped it years ago.”
“I’ll admit, I haven’t walked through as much of this maze as you, but most of what I’ve seen have been traps and the like. The truck is probably another trap, but I’m willing to bet it’s functional. You told me about that old tractor. If the truck works at all, we can find a way to use it, rescue Gudger, find Michelle and Elron, and get out of here.”
There was no way I was getting out of this. He wanted us to go look for the fire truck, so that’s what we were going to do. In the end, my protest really didn’t matter. He was the ranking officer. “Nothing I say is going to change your mind, is it?”
“Nope.” There was a little too much cheer in his voice. “Let’s pack up and move out.”
I was afraid he’d say that.
It didn’t take long to tidy up camp, and far too quickly for my taste, I was leading us back to the fire truck. And, in all likelihood, a trap. Wells kept glossing over that part like it wasn’t an issue. To him the story of the tractor was proof this truck would run, but I’d had a very different experience.
As we approached the entrance to the maze, I looked back at Wells. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to find it. I made that clear, right?”
Wells sighed as if he couldn’t believe we were going over this again. “Yes, very clear. You’ll try, and if we find it, I have to check it out before you’ll go anywhere near the fire truck.”
“Very good, sir.” I motioned toward the opening in the maze. “I believe the fire truck is this way.”
Wells followed me in, and I said another prayer we weren’t walking into a trap. With every breath of wind or rustle of leaves, I was twisting and turning, trying to make sure I wasn’t being attacked. From time to time, I got a glimpse of Wells. He looked alert but not nearly as worried. Taking a few breaths, I tried to calm down. After all, Wells had my back. I could do this.
It took more willpower than I wanted to admit, but I kept my eyes forward when I thought I caught a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. Nothing happened. Like before, my imagination was getting the better of me.
Behind me, Wells grumbled. “How much farther?”
“If we didn’t, or don’t, make a wrong turn, we should be there in a couple of minutes.” Though I wasn’t excited about that prospect. It could’ve been the lack of food giving me a queasy feeling, but I suspected it was fear.
A few minutes later, we hung a left and there it was, sitting all alone in a clearing. The rusty ’50s-era fire truck.
Wells came up beside me. “Truck’s still here. That’s good.”
I kept my mouth shut. In my mind there was nothing good going on, but I didn’t think he wanted to hear that. Good would be to find an exit, have Ned keep his bargain, retrieve Gudger in reasonably good condition, and retreat down the mountain. Sadly, I knew that particular series of events would only happen in my dreams.
“I’m going to check it out. Do you want to stay here?” Wells managed to keep the judgment out of his voice, but I knew the correct answer.
“I’ll go with you, sir.”
Wells simply nodded and strode toward the fire truck. Giving the area a once-over, I followed him. The willpower that had kept me focused on the path ahead had vanished, and I found myself trying to look at everything all at once.
“Steady, Westmoreland.”
“Yes, sir.”
We both pretended that my voice didn’t wobble.
I took his words to heart as we approached the fire truck and just pretended there wasn’t any danger. I had to pretend, or I wouldn’t be able to do this. The last thing I needed was to survive this mess, get home, and find that I was under review for my performance in the field.
Last night, the fire truck had seemed solid enough, but now its outline seemed to be wavering. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but then again, maybe there was something to Wells’s theory that the truck was under an illusion.
As Wells walked around the fire truck, I closed my eyes and summoned my magic. It responded sluggishly, and after more effort than I liked to admit to, I had a slender rope of magic that I could use to probe the truck. I sent the magic out slowly, wanting to have time to pull back if there was a trap that could latch on to my power.
Magically speaking, I couldn’t find anything interesting about the truck until my power touched it. Then I felt a light tingle. It was similar to what I’d felt back at the stream with all the dead snails but not as powerful. I continued examining the fire truck, hoping to find more answers, but that initial tingle was all I got.
“There’s some type of magic on the truck.”
Wells stopped looking at the truck and focused on me. “What kind of magic?”
“I’m not sure.” I tried to keep my voice even, but I knew I was failing him. He needed Michelle. “It was similar to what we found with the snails, but I can’t tell you anything else.”
If Michelle were here, she could tell us more. There was a huge gap between my abilities and hers. In part because she could move so much more energy but also because she was more sensitive to magic. Plus if she wanted, she could see it. Magic had to be extraordinarily powerful before I could see it, and I would never be able to see my own magic.
Wells nodded. “Any warning is better than none.”
I joined him in giving the truck a good visual inspection. Other than the fluctuating outline and the fact that the truck had somehow gotten out here, it looked normal. A little rusted and a broken headlight, but overall just a run-of-the-mill old vehicle.
Beside me, Wells sighed. “We’ve learned everything we can from out here. Time to look inside. Back me up?”
“Yes, sir.” Clutching my wand, I got in position. We both knew if something went wrong, I wouldn’t be much help. I didn’t have a gun, so we’d be relying on basic magic and hand-to-hand abilities. It would be so much better if Gudger were here. That man had serious skills.
Wells leaned forward, slipped his fingers under the door handle, let out a breath, and pulled the door open.
Nothing happened. The cab was as empty as it had looked from the outside, and nothing changed, magically or physically.
Wells sighed. “I had expected more.”
“Me too, though I’m grateful for the lack of surprise.” Peering in, I saw that the cab looked to be in good shape. The leather seats were cracked, and the windshield was dirty, but the gearshift was still there, as was the steering wheel and pedals. There was even a key lying on the driver’s seat.
“Hmm. I didn’t expect to see a key.”
I had to agree. “Unless it’s a terrible trap, this doesn’t seem to be Ned’s style.”
“I know.” He scanned the clearing. “I’m not sure what to do. I want to look around in here, see if I can find anything useful, but I’m afraid I’ll find a trap. You said there was magic.”
“On the outside, but let me see if I can find anything in here.” I pulled at my magic, getting another probe out of it.
As I checked the inside of the cab, I was assaulted by the tingly feeling and a hint of something else not exactly magical but containing magic. Frowning, I studied the truck. I wasn’t sure what the spell was, but I really doubted it was good for the two of us.
“What did you find?”
I glanced at Wells, who was tapping his fingers on his thigh, before returning my attention to the fire truck. “Not sure. There are some strange energies in there. They don’t feel like any of the traps we’ve seen before. Let me try another type of probe.”
Wells nodded.
Reaching out with my power, I found a light coating of magic on everything, much like what was on the outside of the truck. When I looked for what I’d initially felt, there was a surge of what I could only describe as emotion. It was telling me to run away, run away and never look back.
Pulling my power out of the truck, I quickly
explained what I’d found to Wells. “Unfortunately, I don’t know what’s producing the emotions.”
Wells muttered some rude words.
Swallowing, I apologized. “Sir, I’m not Michelle. There’s a limit to what I can tell you, especially when I haven’t seen something before.”
“I’m not upset with you, Westmoreland.” Wells sighed. “We’re in a bad spot, you and I. We’re separated from Elron and Michelle, stuck here, and Gudger’s life is at stake. I want to walk away from this blasted truck and find another way, but I don’t feel like that’s an option because this truck could be the advantage we need to get out of here.”
I already regretted the words, but I had to say them. “Or it could kill us.”
Wells frowned at me. “Yes, I am aware that we could end up dead, and in all likelihood Gudger would die as well. But I refuse to operate under that assumption.”
“Sir, I don’t know how to help you. I’m not the best cop. I’m very aware that the only reason I was hired was for my magical abilities.” The admission cost me, but it was the truth, and we both knew it.
Wells whirled around to face me. “If I ever hear those words come out of your mouth again, I will personally see that you work every full moon for six months. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I barked.
His gaze met mine. “I know you’re new, but I want to be very clear: you have always been satisfactory in every aspect on your reviews. Those marks weren’t handed out but earned. You’re right, you aren’t extraordinary, but you are a solid, if young, cop, and a good hedge-practitioner.”
I opened my mouth to thank him, but his glare had me clamping my lips together.
“However, as a department we’ve done you a great disservice. While most new officers spend most of their time in the field, getting training and learning how to evaluate and handle situations, you’ve been stuck in a room fixing magic. When you haven’t been in that room, you’ve been called out to deal with specific problems, well after other officers have done what they can to contain the situation. Now, that was considered the best use of your skills, but we’ve crippled you as a cop. When we get back, I’m going to make sure that you spend more time in the field and get you caught up to where you should be. After this, no one will argue that you don’t get field training as well as magical training.”
Since I didn’t know what to say, I simply nodded. I hadn’t thought Wells understood my difficulties out here, but I’d been wrong. When my voice started working, I offered the only words I could find. “What do you want me to do?”
Wells looked me over and gave me an approving nod. “Watch my back as I look through the glove box.”
“Got it.”
I gave the area a once-over. If there was a trap, it was hiding rather well. Focusing on Wells, I watched him lean into the truck. Even though I kept expecting something to jump out at us, nothing happened. The energy felt about the same too. He carefully touched the glove compartment before turning the key to open it. It swung open, revealing a wooden box. Taking a steadying breath, I quickly glanced around. We were still alone, but I had a bad feeling about that box.
Wells studied it for a moment before looking over his shoulder. “Think it’s magic?”
“Give me a moment.” This time my power was even more sluggish to respond. I’d given a lot of energy to Michelle when she tried to break through the hedges. Every time I tried to do magic, even simple spells, I was digging into power I simply didn’t have to spare.
When I was able to probe the box, I couldn’t feel anything—not a hint of magic or emotion. It was totally void of energy. Now, I had a harder time sensing energy than Michelle did, but usually I could get something, especially in a situation like this when there were so many other magical indicators.
There was no keeping the concern out of my voice as I explained what I’d found. “I don’t get anything from it. Which is a little odd. With all the energy in the cab, I should be feeling something.”
“I’m going to open it.”
I thought about telling him it was a bad idea, which was what Michelle would’ve said, but after his pep talk, I couldn’t bring myself to be that negative. Instead, I watched as he reached into the glove compartment and gingerly picked up the box.
The flash of light and deafening boom drowned out anything I might have yelled. That didn’t stop me from having a moment of clarity. I’d known this fire truck was trouble.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Michelle
It didn’t take long for Burly to guide us back to my pack. We grabbed my things, found a place to fill our canteens, and headed out in search of the men. We needed to hurry. After all, every minute we were out here was another one Gudger was spending waiting for us to rescue him.
Now that we were free of Ned’s spells, Elron was able to get some direction from the earth. We had a general idea of where Patrick was, and he mentioned there might be a second person. I pressed him for details, but all he would say was that it didn’t make any sense. Since I knew more about what we were facing, and it didn’t include anything that could attach to my magic, I was able to let my power explore the area around us. It should tell me if we were walking into a trap, and it was easier than checking ahead every few minutes.
We were headed to Patrick’s location as quickly as possible since we knew there was a chance the second person was Ned and he was doing terrible things to poor Patrick. In the back of my mind, I wondered if we should skip rescuing Patrick and go for Gudger. After all, he was the one who was being held hostage by Ned. Though I’d rather face Ned with more people than less.
Walking between towering trees and around holly bushes was delightful. In fact, the best part of getting rid of the spells Ned had put on us was being able to see something other than those giant rhododendron hedges. While there were more rhododendrons, and big ones at that, around here than I would typically expect, there were also plenty of trees and shrubs.
As we walked, I absentmindedly rubbed at my arms, which hurt. The worst thing about breaking the spells was finding all the bumps and scrapes that I’d been getting without realizing it. I didn’t want to know how many branches I’d walked into, and my mind had simply glossed over it because of the spells.
When we got out of here, I was going to research spells like the ones used on us. There should be a way to defend against them, or at least detect and mitigate them once they were in place. Though I had a feeling the powder Ned was using to do magic would make any defensive spells more difficult to enact.
Elron and I had taken a look at the base of the rhododendron bushes while he explained that there was a chance a deer was going to get help for us. I appreciated the doe’s effort, but I doubted help would get here in time. After thanking him, I went back to examining the bushes.
There were enough rhododendrons scattered around that the hedge being constructed out of them sort of made sense. There were also traces of the powder in the dirt around them. While it would’ve been nice to take the time to study it more closely, Patrick needed us. However, a quick look using some of the knowledge I had now had affirmed my belief that there was energy stored in the powder, and he had found a way to turn it into usable power.
I’d racked my brain, but I didn’t know of any powders like that. If there was one, it should’ve been too expensive and tightly controlled for Ned to use it that way, but that clearly wasn’t stopping him. Though this powder did seem to be coming from a creature. That put it in a different category altogether, one that was essentially banned. To get dragon’s blood, for example, you had to negotiate with a dragon or with a company that represented a dragon who was willing to donate some blood. Not many of them were.
In all this, the poor snails were the ones I felt sorry for. They didn’t have representation, and no one was looking out for their best interest. I didn’t know how the magic was getting into their shells, but Ned was killing them by the thousands to get access to that power, and that was hard
ly fair. While it was possible that they naturally stored energy in their shell, there was a chance he’d developed that ability in them.
Either way, they were a nonnative species that would need to be removed when we’d finished with Ned. Someone would end up studying them to see what they were and how Ned had managed to get magic out of them. That was a magical source that was going to be closely guarded. I just hoped it was destroyed so it couldn’t fall into the wrong hands.
My power tugged on me, asking for attention. “Stop.”
The men halted, focusing on me.
I quickly probed the magic my power had found. It was the same giant trap of charms and compulsion spells I’d found when fleeing the tractor. “We should detour. There’s a big trap about thirty feet ahead of us.”
Elron nodded. “Right or left?”
I shrugged. “Either is fine. I just don’t want to risk dealing with the trap. It’s triggered by pressure plates underground.”
“Left would be a more direct line to Patrick.” Elron turned to Burly. “Are there any terrain features we should take into consideration?”
“It’s more of what you’ve seen. Nothing new to the best of my memory, but Ned preferred to leave me in the maze.” Burly sighed, knowing he wasn’t as useful as we’d hoped.
“That is what I needed to know.” Elron picked a new path and guided us around the trap. We also managed to detour around the remains of the tractor, which I thought was for the best. I didn’t really want to know what tricks my mind had been playing on me.
None of us were up for conversation. From past experience, I knew Elron was keeping an ear on our surroundings, and talking might obscure signs of attack. I was simply too tired to care. Burly just seemed like the quiet type.
After walking down a hill, around a big rock, and up a hill, Elron said, “We’re getting close.”
I summoned my wand and hoped Patrick would be able to recognize us. Since we were now outside the spells, there was a chance he would see us as monsters. Or he might not see us at all.
A Witch's Rite (Witch's Path Series: Book 5) Page 21